A shocking new video from Leave.EU shows how easy it is for migrants to cross the Channel from France to enter the UK illegally. The campaign’s press release revealed that in 2015 alone the UK granted 20,000 of these illegal migrants leave to remain because of European Union (EU) rules that make us powerless to deport them.

Starting from Gravelines harbour, which lies between Calais and Dunkirk in France, the video shows a man on a boat picking up three would-be-migrants. The harbour is totally deserted, and the man points out this means there’s “no attention from anyone whatsoever, and the whole thing’s looking good”.

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Approaching Folkestone Harbour, in Kent, he remarks how the crossing was “an easy feat by anyone’s standards.” He tells the camera: “OK, so we’re home in the UK. To get here, a two and a half hour trip, in moderate weather.

“With me, I’ve brought three people who want to get into the UK, They’re here now, and they will get in. We’ve been unopposed all the way over from the other side and nobody’s thought to stop us or do anything about it.

“That’s how easy it it to bypass immigration and borders in the UK.”

Mooring the boat, the man points out the shocking lack of even the most basic measures to deter migrants. He says of the completely unattended harbour, “No harbour master, no police, no customs, nothing,” musing he could easily be running his our touring business the journey is so easy.”

The camera shows at Folkestone Harbour there’s just a sign saying “visiting mooring”, with a phone number. The man comments that “no one is going to stop me, no one is going to think it’s unusual, this is broad daylight. I could do this whenever I liked.

“Three guys dropped, from a rig, unopposed, absolutely nothing stopping me from doing that, or even a raised eyebrow from anyone watching.”

Leave.EU spokesman Jack Montgomery blamed the state of affairs on cutting public spending by £36 billion as Britain paid out £42 billion (net) to the EU.

“Slashing border security was a choice, made by politicians who put their loyalty to the EU above the needs of the public,” Mr Montgomery said.

Henry Bolton OBE — former head of Border Security at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) — revealed that the EU makes it almost impossible to deport illegal immigrants who arrive in this way.

Leave.EU’s press release outlines why this is the case and warns the only way to regain control of our borders is to vote to leave the EU:

“We are not allowed to send [illegal migrants] back to France, as we could outside the EU – instead, they have to be returned to the country they entered the EU from.

“Often it is impossible to find out where this was, and the procedure is so complex that the Home Office has to give up.” Twenty-thousand illegal immigrants were granted leave to remain as these EU rules in 2015 alone, and the situation will not improve if we remain.”

Earlier this month De Standaad reported that Belgian drones have recorded a major spike in migrants crossing the channel from Belgium to the UK. It says the majority are Iranians, followed by Eritreans, Moroccans and Algerians.